Downed
by TheShadowsInMe
Summary: Tears dripped down my cheeks as Angel's eyes lost their light, staring up blankly at me. I squeezed her tightly, hoping with everything I had that she would wake up again. "Angel!" Nudge screamed but was shut up by a punch in the stomach. Anger had already exploded inside me, but there was nothing I could do…
1. Chapter 1

_-1-_

Everything was a blur, everything was happening too fast. Voices were muffled, a silent ringing in my ears. My arms wrenched behind my back and my knees forced to the ground. Ari snapped the handcuffs tightly around our wrists, forcing us into the back of the semi truck. The door was slammed shut and the engine roared to life. I couldn't believe what had just happened…Angel.

"I'm gonna kill them! I will tear their throats out!" Gazzy screamed. "How could they do this?!"

"Gazzy, I'm so sorry, we're all sorry, but screaming about it isn't going to help any." Iggy tried to calm him down, but Gazzy only cried onto his shoulder, his small body shaking with every breath. I looked over my bruised and battered flock. Fang was across from me, a cut on his jaw bleeding still. His dark hair hung in his eyes as he tried to calm Gazzy down. Nudge was crying on me as well, her tears soaking through my shirt. The only one missing was Angel, my baby…

_Tears dripped down my cheeks as Angel's eyes lost their light, staring up blankly at me. I squeezed her tightly, hoping with everything I had that she would wake up again. But there was nothing I could do. The bullet had been a direct hit to her heart and she was gone. I felt Ari's rough hands dragging me away and snapping on the cuffs, forcing me onto the ground next to Fang, who was still fighting against him but got a sharp hit in the head. He shook his head and then looked over at me, his eyes full of concern and anger. _

"_Angel!" Nudge screamed but was shut up by a punch in the stomach. Anger had already exploded inside me, but there was nothing I could do…_

Ari shoved me hard into a large cage with plexiglass walls and concrete flooring. The handcuffs at least had been removed, leaving behind small cuts around our wrists. We all shared the same large cage at least. All of us were in the corner trying to get a grasp on the events of today. Angel was gone, she'd never come back again. I sat by the others and watched Fang pace back and forth in the cage. I stood up and walked up to him, catching his arm. He looked up at me and I pulled him into a hug, holding him tight. I leaned my head on his shoulder, him patting my back.

"Thing's will be ok." He whispered, I could already feel tears rolling down my cheek. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a death breath, breathing in Fang smell. I could feel his fast heartbeat, each breath he took. It took everything inside me to keep from bursting into tears. I heard the main doors open and I glared at Jeb as he walked in.

"You're a murderer!" I yelled at him and he just looked at me.

"Max, please believe me when I say that it wasn't me. Ari acted on his own, I had no intention of harming any of you." He said but Fang glared at him.

"That's a lie, Jeb!" He growled at him and Jeb only shook his head. "You just wanted her out of the way!"

"Fang, please hear me out,"

"Shut it! I'm not listening to any more of your lies!" Fang yelled and I watched Jeb walk towards the door of our cage. Fang moved in front of the others, me at his side.

"You need to get out of the way, I need to see Gazzy." Jeb said and I glared murderously at him.

"You aren't getting anywhere near any of us." I warned him. He sighed and walked out of the room. A few minutes later, a whitecoat walked in and pressed a few buttons on a computer in the room. Suddenly a hissing sound filled the room.

"Its gas." Fang muttered and I could already hear the others coughing.

"Try to stay with the others." I said, dizziness taking me over.

"I'll try to." Fang muttered, leaning against the cage wall. Dizziness eventually turned into blackness and into nothing…

…


	2. Chapter 2

_-2-_

FANG POV

I woke up with a headache and a burning feeling in my chest. I cough and shook my head, trying to clear the stars dancing in my vision. Looking around, I saw that I was alone in a plexiglass cage with the lights out. There was no sound, no light, nothing at all. I was already panicking. Where did the others go? Where they being hurt? I groaned in anger and frustration. There was nothing I could do! A sudden noise made me jump, looking at the open door. Jeb walked through just then and looked in at me.

"I'm gonna kill you, Jeb." I growled at him but he didn't respond. "You killed Angel!"

"Fang, please calm down. I separated you for your own good."

"What good will this do?" I demanded, gritting my teeth. "I have to protect my family!"

"The flock is safe in individual cages like this one, there's no need to worry about them. My main focus is on you." He said and I glared at him. As long as the others were ok, he could do anything he wanted to me. "We have the potential to save Angel; we just need your DNA."

"That's a lie, Jeb!" I growled at him, my eyes full of hatred and anger. We were already hurting from Angel's loss; he didn't need to keep picking at the deep wound.

"We can save her, Fang. We can repair her body with the new technologies we have, but we can't use her brothers DNA."

"Then why are you talking to me about this?" I growled at him.

"You seem to have the most ability to heal, I need your DNA." Jeb said and I glared at him.

"Forget it Jeb, I've seen your experiments. They come back to life but aren't themselves." I growled and he groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"You leave me no choice then." He said and then walked out of the room, flicking out the light. The door shut, leaving me in the dark.

MAX POV

I was worried about the others, from what I heard, we were all alone in our own separate cages.

"Max? I need to ask you for a favor." Jeb said just then, walking into the room. I glared murderously at him.

"Why would I ever help you?"

"Because I can save Angel. But in order to do that, I need Fang's DNA. He has refused, but if you want him to, he will." Jeb explained and I looked at him shocked. Save Angel? She wouldn't be the same person though, I had seen all his other experiments. "If you refuse, I will have no choice but to take the DNA by force."

"Leave us alone Jeb, you're not going to get anything out of us willingly." I yelled, bashing a fist on the glass wall.

"I was afraid you'd say that." Jeb said and slammed the door shut behind him as he left…


	3. Chapter 3

_-3-_

MAX POV

I always heard fighting going on in the room next to me, fighting between Fang and the whitecoats mainly. Jeb was really trying to get a blood sample but Fang wasn't allowing it. The only way for Jeb to even attempt at saving Angel was to get a blood sample from someone else. It had to be of a bird kid though, and Fang's DNA seemed to be the only available candidate. There was nothing I could do unfortunately, it killed me to have to hear all the commotion.

But one day, Jeb walked into the room but was dragging Fang behind him, a pair of handcuffs around his wrists.

"We'll just do this the hard way." He shoved Fang hard into the plexiglass cage across from mine, locking the door. Fang rubbed his wrists where the metal had dug into his skin. Jeb groaned and turned out the light.

"Talk things over." He said and slammed the door shut. I looked over at Fang who was pacing around his cage.

"Fang, what do they want to do?"

"Jeb wants my blood so he can try to revive Angel." He muttered and I frowned.

"It wouldn't work anyway." I sighed and sat down in the corner. Fang did the same, closing his eyes. I couldn't do anything to help us, I had no idea where the others had gone. Fang also seemed worn out, the cut on his jaw had reopened and he continued to take shallow breaths; broken ribs.

"Give him hell; don't let him do anything easy." I said and Fang nodded, sighing deeply.

"I'll kill him once I get out of here. If I have the chance, he's dead." He muttered. I looked down at the floor of my cage, the drain in the center.

"Just don't get killed yourself." I warned and he cracked a smirk.

"Jeb can't kill me." Fang looked over at me through the strands of dark hair over his eyes. I met his gaze and sighed. "Even if he tried."

"Jeb knows how to fight."

"He's an old man." Fang closed his eyes again, leaning his head against the corner of the cage. "I'll finally get my revenge."

"Try and sleep, we've had a rough day. You should try and conserve your energy. God only knows when we're gonna eat again."

"Seriously." Fang muttered and I saw his form slightly relax. We were all starving when we got caught and now, 2 days later, we were all drained of any energy.

"I'll see you in the morning." I closed my own eyes, Fang didn't answer.

…

FANG POV

I was woken up by my stomach growling loudly. I opened my eyes and peered out at Max who was still asleep. I groaned and stretched, popping my shoulders. It was 4 am according to my watch, Jeb wouldn't be back till 7. I sighed and closed my eyes again, trying to go back to sleep. Only sleep could distract me from my hunger…


	4. Chapter 4

_-4-_

Max POV

"Please, don't hurt him!" I begged Jeb but the two Erasers held Fang's tense form up, punching him in the stomach.

"I'm sorry, but you wouldn't cooperate the easy way." Jeb said, pulling out a syringe. Fang cringed as Jeb took a blood sample and then Fang kicked as hard as he could straight into Jeb's kneecap. I heard the crack, and the yelp, and the crash as the syringe broke on the ground. The Erasers banged Fang against the wall hard as Jeb picked himself up off the floor.

"You're only making this harder on yourself." He said and Fang glared at him, snarling. Fang looked evil with his dark hair in front of his angry eyes. The cut on his jaw had healed, leaving a faint scar. The Eraser bashed his shoulder with his fists, making Fang cringe.

"Chain him." Jeb said and the Erasers cuffed his wrists and ankles, holding him against the wall. Fang struggled the whole time but I could tell he was completely worn out.

"Just leave him alone!" I screamed but they didn't pay any attention to me. Jeb walked out, slightly limping. I banged my fists on the cage wall but it didn't do any good. I could only watch as the Erasers knocked Fang unconscious, his form leaning against the wall with the chains still hooked on. His head leaned in the corner of the cage, his eyes closed, dark hair slightly covering them, the cuts on his face finally ceasing to bleed. I couldn't do anything for him either and that tore me apart. Jeb finally walked in with another syringe, opening the door to Fang's cage and walking in. I could see Fang's eyes flickering open and looking straight up at Jeb. He leaped to his feet, backing away from him.

"Are you going to do this the easy way or the hard way, Fang?" Jeb asked and Fang glared murderously at him.

"The only thing keeping you alive right now are these chains." He hissed. "You aren't getting anything from us the easy way."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jeb said and an Eraser grabbed Fang's shoulders, keeping him still no matter how hard he struggled. The other pulled Fang's arm forward, Jeb pushing in the needle. Fang's knees suddenly buckled and he fell, the Eraser falling with him. Fang's eyes were closed, his entire body limp.

"Well, that was a bit more reaction than I thought it would be, but he's ok. Come." Jeb motioned to the Erasers and they all headed out, Jeb locking the door behind them. I could only watch as Fang remained out cold, his breaths shallow and slow.

"Fang?" I called out to him. No response. "Fang?" I waited a few minutes and then called again, this time his eyes flickered open and he looked around. He groaned as he tried to stand, leaning on the wall for support.

"What happened?" He asked, shaking his head.

"Jeb injected you with something and you fell, passed out."

"I wonder what it was." Fang said groggily. I could see his legs giving out, he slid down the wall and sat down again, leaning his head on the wall behind him. He looked at me, his eyes full of anger, pain, and exhaustion. He blinked and looked away, everything was washed out of his expression once again.

"I'm so sorry, Fang." I said as I watched his eyes slowly drift shut, despite him trying to fight it. "Just please hold on."


	5. Chapter 5

_-5-_

Jeb returned again just before he closed up the building for the night, only he moved Fang back into my cage, locking the door. There was no talking, no fights; Fang was still unconscious when it happened. I watched Jeb lock the doors and walk out, and then looked back down at Fang. He was lying on his back on the ground next to me. I crouched down and lifted him up so he was leaning against the corner of the wall. He was still cut up and bruised, but at least he was in here where I could protect him now. Jeb always seemed to enjoy getting to me through Fang…

"Fang?" I asked as I crouched in front of him. I put a hand on his shoulder, he didn't respond. He really was out cold, fighting off whatever Jeb had put in his system. I sighed and moved next to him, leaning my head on his shoulder. I looked out of the cage and towards the ceiling of the building. If we really had the option of escaping, where would we go? We were constantly under attack, being caught, only to endure torture. The Itex program would take over the world, transform everyone into mutants, and all we could do was stand and watch…

…

Sometime during the night, I head a few doors opening. I looked around and suddenly the lights flicked on, the door smashing shut. I watched Jeb walk closer to the cage to peer inside at us.

"Jeez, still out cold?" He whispered but I still heard him. I glanced over at Fang who still remained unconscious. The cuts on his face still remained, all the bruises, none of his injuries had healed like they usually did.

"What did you do?" I asked, worry now spiking inside me.

"I can't believe it worked." He said and I stood up, glaring at him.

"What did you do!" I demanded and his glance moved from Fang to me.

"I gave him a drug that's supposed to repress healing. I guess it's worked on him."

"That's why he's unconscious, you put him in a coma." I breathed and looked back at Fang, his face blank.

"Yes, he should recover very soon though since the injection was 12 hours ago." Jeb said and then grinned. "I'm so happy it worked."

"Why? How could that drug have any possible advantage to it?"

"It doesn't, merely my personal experiment." He winked at me and I glared at him. He walked on out of the room, leaving us in silence once more. I turned to Fang and crouched down in front of him. He was still out. I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly, trying to get at least some reaction out of him, but he remained still, his hair still over his closed eyes. I sighed…

…

It was as if a light switch had been flicked on, everything powering up. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, my vision blurry. I was in a cage, but not the one from before, if I remember correctly. Everything hurt, I was sore all over, especially my ribs. I looked over and nearly had a heart attack as I saw Max leaning on my shoulder asleep. I took a deep but slow breath, calming down again.

"Max?" I asked, my voice hurting.

"Fang?" She asked, a confused tone to her voice. She looked up at me and a grin broke her face. She hugged me tight, leaning her head on my shoulder. I hugged her back.

"I'm so glad you're ok." She whispered and I nodded, closing my eyes.

"What happened?"

"Jeb injected you with something that slows the healing process down. You were healing at the speed of a human basically, all the injuries caught up to you, you were unconscious for over 14 hours."

"Jeez, no wonder everything hurts." I said and she nodded, finally letting me go. She looked me over and then took my hand.

"We've got to get out of here soon; I can't stand not knowing what's happening to the others."

"I know what you mean." I said, looking at her. "We will. I promise."


End file.
